Due to the protracted and problematic course of therapy, and the high probability of relapse, there is reasonable doubt whether chronic prostatitis can be cured. There is no clear answer to this question.
Diseases detected at an early stage are completely cured in 90% of cases, but when irreversible pathological changes develop, the prognosis for treatment becomes worse. With advanced prostatitis, stable remission can be achieved.
What treatment is used - outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis involves the appointment of physiotherapy and the continuous use of medication for 2-3 months. Inpatient treatment is prescribed for the following symptoms:
- The acute form of the disease is indicated by a high temperature above 38°.
- The occurrence of complications due to severe illness.
- Lack of results from home therapy.
If the disease becomes latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital, and further treatment is done on an outpatient basis. Advantages of hospitalization:
- Continuous monitoring of treating staff.
- Possibility of providing emergency care and pain relief.
- There is no temptation to break the recommendations on diet and bad habits.
- The course of therapy is constantly adjusted, depending on its effectiveness.
Hospitalization has several disadvantages: the high cost of treatment (in paid clinics), the stress experienced by a man who finds himself in a hospital environment.
Outpatient clinics allow patients not to break away from their usual environment, engage in daily activities, and carry out work (of course, without leaving home). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The decision of how the therapy will be carried out depends on the attending physician. Based on individual indications, you can start therapy at home. In this case, the patient should be given a detailed step-by-step treatment, indicating the need for regular visits to the doctor and undergoing physical procedures.
How long does it take to treat chronic prostatitis?
The duration of treatment is individual. Some patients get rid of this disease in a few months, others need to be treated for years.
Several factors affect the speed of recovery:
- Disease stage— chronic prostatitis in the early stages of development is often found by chance, during the annual examination of the patient. At this stage, there are serious pathological changes in the body that require long-term therapy.
- The role of the patient- the desire to get better, careful compliance with treatment advice, abandon bad habits (smoking and alcohol), shorten the duration of therapy and improve the prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics show that 80-90% of patients who receive help in the early stages of a chronic disease can completely get rid of the disease. After the transition from latent to acute form, with clear symptoms, the percentage of successful therapy is sharply reduced to 65-70%.
The longer you wait to see a doctor, the more likely conventional complex treatment will not have the desired effect and surgical intervention will be required.
Chronic prostatitis in some forms can develop into prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are necessary conditions to prevent cancer.
Is complete healing possible?
You can completely get rid of prostatitis in the early stages of the disease. If the inflammatory process has become acute, characteristic irreversible changes in the vas deferens and in the tissue structure are usually observed.
Once clinical symptoms appear, it becomes impossible to completely cure chronic inflammation of the prostate gland. Therapy is aimed at achieving stable remission.
After the acute inflammation is relieved, preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy is ineffective, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate gland is performed.
Over the years of research, general international recommendations for the treatment of chronic prostatitis have been developed, which have significantly increased the recovery rate among patients. The probability of a complete cure is in the range of 50-65%, achieving a stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Methods of treatment for chronic inflammation of the prostate
Many articles on the Internet and medical reference books are devoted to treating chronic prostatitis. Most sources agree that there is no effective drug to combat this disease; complex therapy is required, including:
- A course of drugs.
- Treatment is not medicine.
- Physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- massage
A clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis aims to overcome some of the negative manifestations of the disease:
- Removes the inflammatory process.
- Elimination of congestion and normalization of blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
- Elimination of the catalyst of the inflammatory process.
- Fights the effects of prostatitis.
- Prevents recurrence of disease.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis aims to overcome all the listed negative manifestations, and is therefore more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the approach largely depends on the patient's desire to recover, which is shown in careful compliance with all the recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor that contributes to the complete recovery of the patient is contacting a large clinic. The medical center uses modern methods of effective treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate, which is carried out under the guidance of experienced medical personnel.
The modern standard for combating the inflammatory process is pathogenetic therapy. The essence of the principle is to develop an individual course depending on the characteristics of the patient.
How to treat with drugs
After diagnosing chronic prostatitis, a man needs to be patient, because the drug treatment regimen involves taking drugs over a long period of time. Success in the fight against this disease depends on careful adherence to the prescribed therapy schedule.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis is from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking the medicine yourself when you feel better, because this can cause a stable form of the disease.
Standard treatment includes prescription of the following drugs:
- Antispasmodic and analgesic— from the beginning and almost until the end of treatment, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the glands. If symptoms cannot be alleviated, additional anesthetic injections are recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs— suppositories containing substances from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives are recommended. The use of rectal suppositories is effective due to the almost direct effect of the active components on the prostate tissue.
Phenylacetic acid derivatives are absorbed into the blood through the rectum and quickly relieve the symptoms associated with this disease. Anti-inflammatory therapy includes the prescription of corticosteroids and NSAIDs. - Antiviral and antibacterial agents.The standard of treatment prescribes the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is required in the presence of infectious catalytic factors that cause inflammation, as well as as a preventive measure before surgical treatment.
To increase the effectiveness of the drug, lymphotropic therapy is performed. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, which block venous outflow and drain the bladder. Instillation is performed (direct injection of antibiotics into the bladder).
In the final stages of the disease, conservative treatment methods are used. Regular use of medication (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) is necessary to reduce the rate of prostate growth and reduce unpleasant symptoms. At the same time as the drug course, non-drug and physical therapy is carried out.
Therapy is not medicine
The experience of the developed world convincingly proves the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis. At the same time as taking medicine, the patient is prescribed a new method of non-drug therapy. Among them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. A source of heat energy is supplied to the prostate using a transrectal method. Microwave therapy promotes better drug effects and preserves prostate growth.
- Shock wave therapy.The consequence of chronic prostatitis is the appearance of abnormalities in the soft tissue of the gland. The seal was destroyed by the shock wave. The result of the procedure is the removal of the inflammatory process and better blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in complex treatment shortens the duration of hospitalization and increases the effectiveness of medication. - Laser therapy for chronic inflammation of the prostate— the effect is based on the treatment of the gland with narrowly directed light rays. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen in blood vessels, better tissue metabolism and, as a result, tumor absorption. Another positive effect is the accelerated regeneration of damaged tissue.
- Ultrasound applications— the strong vibrations of the emitted waves cause tissues to regenerate, increase trophism and metabolic processes. Devices for ultrasound treatment are so easy to use that they can be purchased for home use. The device kills parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Non-drug therapy methods are prescribed individually, taking into account the presence of contraindications for the patient.
Physiotherapy approach
Innovative methods for treating chronic prostatitis are often combined with time-tested methods. Physiotherapy has a good effect.
The purpose of the procedure has several purposes:
- Increase blood flow.
- Creates a metabolic process in the body.
- Reduce the area of inflammation.
- Accelerates lymph flow to remove pathogens from the prostate gland.
- Stimulates the immune system and activates the body's own power to fight disease.
The physiotherapeutic approach is used in the largest medical centers around the world. In Israeli hospitals, after completing a course of therapy, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
Rapid improvement in well-being is achieved by completing the following physiotherapy courses:
- Phonophoresis— this technique begins with the introduction of vitamins and drugs into the skin tissue and prostate gland through the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body on a mechanical and chemical level, and the effect of drugs is enhanced.
- Reflexology— this term refers to a whole system of practices based on effects on the active points of human biology. Other names for the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session, the effect on the nerve endings leads to an increase in glandular static, normalization of blood circulation, and reduction of pain. - Vacuum treatment (can)— many experts agree that disturbances in the function of internal organs cause spinal pathology. This technique is effective in combating congestion; after 1-2 sessions, the function of the prostate gland improves significantly, and urination becomes normal.
- Electrical stimulator— this procedure is effective in treating any form of prostatitis, improves erection, and activates the immune system. The use of electrical stimulation lasts 10-15 days.
During the session, a source of electric current is supplied to the prostate through the prostate gland. Waves affect the prostate, bones and muscle tissue, which stimulates their work.
Physiotherapy does not replace drug treatment during exacerbations, but instead promotes the effectiveness of prescribed drugs, speeding up a man's recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the course of treatment for chronic prostatitis does not produce results, a stable progression of the disease is observed, and surgery is prescribed. Several methods have been developed:
- Prostatectomy.
- Prostate resection.
- Laser removal.
- Laparoscopy.
The choice of surgical intervention depends on several factors: the age of the patient, the invasive method, the presence of contraindications, and the volume of the prostate gland.
The latest technology to carry out the operation is associated with the absence of the need for abdominal tissue surgery. The removal of the prostate occurs through the urethra or several small holes in the abdominal area.
Laser removal of the prostate is widely used. The high-intensity light beam vaporizes the glandular tissue, which leads to a decrease in prostate volume.
The main feature of modern surgical treatment is minimal harm to the human body, which leads to a reduction in recovery time and rapid recovery with complete restoration of all basic functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to the high risk in old age, after 60-65 years, surgical treatment is practically not performed. Therapy is reduced to relieve the symptoms of prostatitis and improve the condition and quality of life.
Massage treatment
Clinical recommendations for the treatment of prostatitis stem from the need for digital transrectal massage of the gland. During the contact effect on the tissue, the area is massaged, which helps increase blood supply and relieve pain.
The main task of the regular massage is to squeeze glandular stones containing inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications for prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Treatment reviews indicate that the first prostate massage procedure is quite painful, but brings great relief. The massage is performed exclusively by specialists. Set during the recovery period after drug treatment.
Prevention of relapse of chronic prostatitis
The modern approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis consists not so much in the fight against inflammation of the prostate, but in the use of effective preventive measures to prevent the recurrence of the disease.
Prevention of the return of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Adjustments in diet and lifestyle. General recommendations, providing a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment schedule No. 5.
- Conduct complex anti-relapse therapy. The course of treatment includes medications and procedures aimed at eliminating congestion in the pelvic organs, as well as strengthening the immune system. Recommended sports: yoga, exercise therapy.
The anti-relapse treatment protocol includes regular check-ups by a doctor, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests, and PSA tests at least every 6 months.
A healthy lifestyle, frequent sexual intercourse, stopping alcohol and smoking - all this prevents the return of prostatitis, has a good effect on men's health and allows you to live a rich and fulfilling life.